Four held over Carlton Towers fire in Bangalore
By IANSSunday, February 28, 2010
BANGALORE - Four people have been arrested and search is on for a few others for Tuesday’s fire in the Carlton Towers here that left nine dead and around 60 injured, police said Sunday.
The four, arrested Saturday night, were sent to jail for a day Sunday by a Bangalore court, assistant police commissioner G.B. Manjunath told reporters here. Manjunath headed the police probe into the fire in the seven-storey office and commercial complex on the busy old airport road.
The four are Carlton Towers Owners’ Association secretary Rafiq Ur Rehman, 45, security in-charge officer L. Ramchandra Bhandari, 54, electrical in-charge officer V. Kempegowda, 31, and the building’s administration in-charge B. Chennaiah, 26.
Search is on for Anurag Jain, president of the Carlton Towers Owners’ Association, and other office-bearers of the association, Manjunath said.
Cases have been registered against the arrested and the absconding persons under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 304A (causing death by negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Manjunath said.
The exact cause of the fire has still not been ascertained. Various agencies like fire and emergency services, electrical inspector’s office and Forensic Science Laboratory have conducted the probe and are expected to submit their reports in the next two days.
Of the nine killed, six died of injuries suffered from jumping from top floors to escape while three were asphyxiated.
